At the risk of sounding like an ungrateful, man-hating, eternally grumpy and ugly-arm-pitted feminist, I really hate it when male pop singers release touchy-feely power ballads about how other men shouldn’t hit women. Take, for example, Keith Urban’s “Stupid Boy”, released last month in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Federation (CWF) Shelter from the Storm Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women.

For most of May, the radio regularly played infomercials with extremely intense stats on violence against women - and that’s amazing, because violence against women is not a topic we talk about, in real statistical terms, very much on commercial radio. And Urban’s song was meant to support a radiothon to raise funds for the CWF - so that was nice of him.

But that pesky ungrateful, naggy nit-picker in me couldn’t help but feel that Urban’s song seems to almost sentimentalise domestic violence, lapsing into soft-hued, apolitical images that stop us from thinking about the cultural roots of domestic violence, because we’re too busy swaying to the music.

In the words of Urban:

Well, she was precious like a flower
She grew wild, wild but innocent
A perfect prayer in a desperate hour
She was everything beautiful and different

Is it just me or do sickening stereotypes about the purity of women - and the converse, as in, images of strong, protective and masculine men - just lead us to the toxic land of gender roles, which breeds such awful things as gender violence in the first place?

And how about Nickelback, whose 2001 hit “Never Again” asks “Haven’t you heard ‘Don’t hit a lady?’” and suggests that if you beat a woman then you’re not a real tough guy.

(more inside…)

OK, so we already knew that Spock was cool (although I’m more into Star Wars myself - but I got respect for Vulcans). But Leonard Nimoy has just rocketed up the coolness-scale by like a zillion points.

Nimoy - an established and respected photographer - has been photographing plus size women in the nude for the past eight years.

You can see twelve of his other nude portraits (and much of his other photography) here, and a wonderful piece about his photography here.

Celebrating full-figured women has become one of Nimoy’s passions:

The average American woman, according to articles Ive read, weighs 25 percent more than the models who are showing the clothes they are being sold, Mr. Nimoy said, his breathing slightly labored by allergies and a mild case of emphysema. So, most women will not be able to look like those models. But theyre being presented with clothes, cosmetics, surgery, diet pills, diet programs, therapy, with the idea that they can aspire to look like those people. Its a big, big industry. Billions of dollars. And the cruelest part of it is that these women are being told, You dont look right. ”

Mr. Nimoy…admits that before he began this project, it had never occurred to him that beauty might be culture driven, that a fat body in Africa is treated quite differently from one in the United States. In some cultures their weight is a sign of affluence: their husbands can afford to feed them well, he noted.

Or, as you might put it: live long and prosper, ladies.

PS: Sorry for blogging so little lately - deadlines and my grandmother’s hospitalization have soaked up all my energy for the past month.

The Miss G__ Project for Equity in Education, a grassroots, young feminist organization working to combat oppression in and through education, is looking for summer interns. Here’s what they need:

We are looking for one or two smart, strong, sassy high school students for a six-week, part-time volunteer internship at our Toronto office this summer.

In becoming part of the G__ unit for the summer, you will be doing high school outreach programming for the Miss G__ Project, which will include things like:
- research and workshop development
- event planning and networking
- media and material development

And the best part is:
- you will have a budget to work with
- you will have super fabulous mentors to support you
- you will get to work in an awesome office in downtown Toronto
(more inside…)

I love the way this story, from the Globe and Mail, starts:

Dara Fresco took a day off from her job as head teller at a Toronto branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Tuesday, dropped her toddler at daycare, and launched a $600-million class-action lawsuit against her employer.

Fresco, who has worked at CIBC as a teller and personal banker for 10 years, says the bank owes her about $50,000 in unpaid overtime. Her statement filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice claims the bank actively discourages employees from requesting payment for the overtime hours they are often required to work.

Apparently overtime is rampant in banking; one former employee told the Globe that branch managers personal bonuses are tied to the branchs profits, so they have an interest in keeping costs low.

This could be the biggest class action lawsuit in Canada, ever. It reminds me of Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Stores, the class-action suit filed against Wal-Mart in the U.S. to battle the chains poor gendered labour practices, including wage gaps, lack of advancement and training and sexual harassment.

According to the Globe, Statistics Canada reports that more than 1.6 million Canadians worked unpaid overtime in April. In Working On The Edge, a report by Torontos Workers Action Centre (disclosure: I helped research the report), documents the experiences of thousands of low-wage, immigrant workers in Ontario who are routinely not paid for overtime hours (or barely paid for their work hours), and the lack of protection offered to these workers by the labour law and regulatory agencies. In Ontario alone, over $100 million in workers’ wages went unpaid over the last five years, even though the Ministry Of Labour ordered employers to pay.

It probably took a lot of guts for Fresco to stand up to her employer. I hope this suit gets the attention it deserves and can encourage action in other sectors and workplaces.

Since I’m known for being a bit of a lit geek, I thought I’d let readers know about Now Hear This!, a brilliant program that this year brought young people and professional writers together in the classroom. The calibre of the writing talent is supreme, and from what I hear, students are producing some stellar work while learning hands-on with the writers. The program is constantly expanding, and an anthology of student writing is currently in the works. This week, three of the writers involved will be celebrating the end of a succesful program by doing readings in some of the participating schools. Pictured here is writer and Shameless contributor Zoe Whittall with attending students, taken at today’s reading at Notre Dame High School.

Fair disclosure: I was formerly Descant‘s Circulation Manager, the literary journal Now Hear This! works in conjunction with.(more inside…)

The birds are twittering, the squirrels are making squirrel noises, and the smog alerts are daily, which means to me the start of late-spring/summer (or ‘spummer’) and the high-season for visiting farmers’ markets.

It’s been said many times and more eloquently than I can manage (especially sitting here in my muggy apartment), but the bottom line is that we can’t afford to be complacent about where our food comes from. Farmers’ markets support farmers, healthy communities, sustainable rural and urban agriculture, puppies, panda bears… They’re just awesome. Five gold stars to farmers’ markets.

Perhaps someone outside of Toronto can post details on farmers’ markets in other areas, but for those within reach of the GTA, a list of Toronto markets is available here.

But as of this Tuesday, that list will be slightly incomplete, as the wonderful Trinity Bellwoods Park is joining the ranks of rhubarb, herb, heirloom tomato and artisanal bread providers. Their list of vendors makes my mouth water (Wild Blueberry Lemonade? Yes please.)

The Trinity Bellwoods Farmers’ Market will run every Tuesday from 3pm-7pm, from June 5th to October 30th (at the north end of the park).

I like farmers’ markets because they push me out of my food ruts, and are often the first place I encounter such fantastical items as purple carrots and puffball mushrooms. They also provide an opportunity to meet’n’greet the actual people growing the food you put inside you (though there is also room for the shy shopper who just wants to pick up some fresh asparagus and be on their way).

Me and my re-useable shopping bags will be out doing the farmers’ market crawl all spummer and into the fall, rain or shine. Hope to see you out there.

An important housing action is taking place tomorrow in Toronto, organized by the Women Against Poverty Collective (WPAC).

According to the WPAC’s website, “Low income women are forced to raise their children in unsafe neighbourhoods where apartments are often overcrowded, in need of major repairs, and vermin infested. Poverty, lack of housing and fear of losing their children to child protection agencies are among the biggest concerns of women living with violence who want to leave.”

After a rally and march, the group will occupy one of the hundreds of empty and unused buildings in this city, buildings that are often sold by the city to developers to turn into high-priced condos rather than transforming them into affordable housing. WPAC is demanding housing that is women-controlled, safe and accessible.

Details:
WHAT: March, Rally and Takeover of Abandoned Building
WHEN: Sunday, June 3rd, 12 Noon
WHERE: Cawthra Park (Just north of 519 Church Street)